Directional fan



M. M. A. TROUILHET Dec. 2, 1969 DIRECTIONAL FAN 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 27'. 1968 /N VENT'OR NVM/RIC E MR/E C//L LE TROU/L HET Dec. 2, 1969 M, M, A,TR0U|1 HET 3,481,533

DIRECTIONAL FAN 4 Sheets-Shedl 2 Filed Feb. 27, 1968 /NVENT'OQ MEUR/CE MAR/E 4CH/LE TROU/[HE7 Dec. 2, 1969 M. M. A. TROUILHET DIRECTIONAL FAN 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 27, 1968 /N VEA/TOR MAUR/CE MAR/E /qf//LLE TROU/LAE 7' Dec- 2, 1969 M. M. A. TROUILHET 3,481,533

DIRECTIONAL FAN Filed Feb. 27, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 //V VEN TOR M @UFP/CE MR/E ,4CH/L L E 7'7POU/L HE T United States Patent O M 3,481,533 DIRECTIONAL FAN Maurice Marie Achille Trouilhet, Lyon, France, assignor to Calor Appareils Electro-Domestiques, Lyon, Rhone, France, a company of France Filed Feb. 27, 1968, Ser. No. 708,613 Claims priority, application France, Apr. Z4, 1967,

Int. c1. Fmb 25/10 U.S. Cl. 230-256 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention essentially relates to an improved fan with a directional impeller and more particularly t0 a fan effecting an alternate sweep.

The fan object of this invention is of a very improved type, the impeller being adjustable in all directions with respect to the support and being in addition advantageously of a type having blades with a variable pitch. The fan may moreover automatically sweep a space area comprised within a determined angle, the opening of which may be varied at will. For instance, any automatic sweeping angle in the range from 0 to 180 may be selected, and said sweeping may be performed in any desired plane of orientation.

Other improvements of the invention allow one to change at will even during the operation of the apparatus, the amplitude of the sweeping angle, the inclination of the sweeping plane, the medial direction of this angle, etc.

The fan conformable to the invention providing these improvements is especially remarkable in that the impeller, the driving motor and the casing of the latter are all mounted on a rotary shaft freely journaled in the supporting or fixing pedestal of the apparatus. A connecting rod is mounted with one of its ends upon a second pivot solid with the aforesaid unit, while its other end is mounted on a rst pivot capable of taking several positions which determine the relative angular positions of said unit with respect to said pedestal. In an advantageous way, said rst pivot is mounted for an eccentric rotation about the rotary shaft of said unit, the angular position of said first pivot about said shaft being automatically and elastically adjustable.

According to another feature of the invention, said second pivot articulating the connecting rod is moved to describe a circle about an axis parallel to said rotary shaft of said unit, for instance constituted by an eccentric solid with the secondary gear of a speed reducer or controller driven by the motor of the fan.

This arrangement determines an automatic sweeping of the fan impeller within a plane, the medial direction of the speed being determined by the angular position taken by said rst pivot of the connecting rod about the rotary shaft of the unit.

According to still another feature of the invention, the position of said eccentric constituting the aforementioned second Ipivot of the connecting rod is adjustable. By varying the eccentricity of this pivot, it is possible to change the amplitude of the sweeping angle.

According to another feature of the invention, said 3,481,533 Patented Dec. 2, 1969 rotary shaft of the unit is journaled in an intermediate part forming a universal joint combination and a hub, said intermediate part rotating itself in the support of the apparatus. The axis of rotation of the unit within the hub and the axis of rotation of the universal joint combination in the pedestal are orthogonal. The rotational position of the universal joint combination -in the pedestal is controlled in an irreversible way by an appropriate system such as for instance a spur pinion meshing with a straight toothing provided on the ball. By acting on said spur pinion the sweeping plane of the fan may thus be adjusted at will.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the detailed description which will follow of a preferred embodiment, given only by way of a non limitary example. The description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a general side view, partially sectional, showing an apparatus conformable to the present invention;

FIGURE 2 shows in an exploded view, at a large scale and in perspective, a detail of embodiment illustrating the piece forming universal joint combination and hub, said -piece being a structural part of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURES 3 to 6 show at a larger scale a structural part forming the secondary gear of a speed'reducer designed to control the alternate sweeping motion of the fan; these figures are namely:

FIGURE 3 illustrates said piece seen appreciably in the direction shown by arrow III of FIGURE 5;

FIGURES 4 and 5 are sectional views, the sections being made respectively following lines IV-IV and V-V on the FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 is another view of said piece seen appreciably in the direction shown by arrow VI of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 shows in a side view an intermediate part supporting said second pivot of the connecting rod securing the directional adjustment of the impeller;

FIGURE 8 is a view from above of the part shown in FIGURE 7;

FIGURES 9 to 12 illustrate a structural part engaging the part shown on FIGURES 3 to 6 to control the eccentricity of said second pivot articulating the connecting rod which -is used for the directional adjustment of the impeller; these iigures are namely:

FIGURE 9 is a view of said part seen in the direction shown by arrow IX of FIGURE 10;

FIGURE 10 is a sectional view, the section being made appreciably following the line X-X of FIGURE 9;

FIGURE 11 is another view of said part, seen in the direction shown by arrow XI of FIGURE 10;

FIGURE 12 is a sectional view of said piece, the section being made appreciably following the line XII--XII of FIGURE 11;

FIGURE 13 illustrates in a view from below the aforementioned connect-ing rod with its associate pivots as well as the structural parts on which said pivots are rotatively mounted;

FIGURE 14 is a basic diagram showing how the impeller performs its sweeping when it is mounted as shown in FIGURE 13;

FIGURES 15 to 18 show at a smaller scale various orientations and different operating positions of the apparatus.

According to the preferred method of embodiment illustrated in the drawings, an apparatus forming fan 20 conformable to the invention essentially comprises an impeller 21, for instance with three adjustably pitched blades 22, an electric motor 23 driving said impeller, a casing 24 housing the motor unit and supporting pedestal 25.

The adjustably pitched impeller may for instance be of the type described in the U.S. Patent No. 3,360,051 dated Dec. 26, 1967, in the name of the applicant. However, any impeller of a standard type may also -be used.

According to the invention, the unit constituted by the impeller, the driving motor and the casing of the latter may be rotatable with respect to the pedestal by means of a rotary shaft 26 freely journaled in an intermediate part 27. which forms altogether a universal joint combination and a hub solid with pedestal 25. The part 27, which will be described in detail hereinafter, is rotatively mounted about an axle 28 orthogonal with said shaft 26, the axle 28 being supported by bearings or fianges solid with the pedestal 25. In the embodiment shown here, the rotation of the universal joint combination 27 about the axle 28 is performed by means of a spur pinion 29 conrtrolled by a knurled knob 30, the threading of said spur pinion 29 meshing with a straight toothing of said ball, as may be clearly seen especially on FIGURE 2.

The rotation of the aforementioned unit (impellerdriving motor-motor casing) with respect to the pedestal 2S of the apparatus is limited by a connecting rod 31, a second pivot 32 of which is mounted solid with said unit, while its first pivot 33 (FIGURE 13) is mounted solid with a disk 34 rotating about the axis of shaft 26. The first pivot 33 of the connecting rod 31 is mounted eccentrically with respect to the axis of shaft 26. The disk 34 may be automatically and elastically placed in various angular positions about the axis of shaft 26 by means of an elastic blade 35, solid with disk 34 and meshing with the teeth 36 of a crown 37, itself solid, as clearly appearing in FIGURE 2 with the intermediate part 27 forming said universal joint combination and said hub. It may in addition be noted in this FIGURE 2, that in 38 is indicated the proper hub of said piece 27 wherein the shaft 25 is journaled and that the locking of said shaft 26 in the hub is obtained by engaging the axle 28 in a necked portion 39 on said shaft 26.

In 40 (FIGURE 2) may be seen the straight toothing of the universal joint combination 27 which, by co-operating with the threads of the spur pinion 29 (FIGURE 1), allows to adjust the position of the fan impeller about the axis of axle 28.

At the other end of the connecting rod 31 adjoining said second pivot 32, the assembly controlling the sweeping motion of the impeller essentially comprises a gear 41, a structural part forming slide 42 and a part 43 exhibiting skews and controlling the position of slide 42.

The gear system -41 is more particularly illustrated by FIGURES 3 to 6, While the slide 42 appears in FIGURES 7 and 8 and the part 43 in FIGURES 9 to l2. The secondary gear 41 of the speed reducer or controller is driven by (not represented) pinions which mesh with a pinion 54 mounted at one end of the motor shaft driving the fan impeller (FIGURE 1).

The gear 41 exhibits a pass 44 (FIGURE 5) 'through which passes slide 42 which is guided in a rectilinear motion (following the direction indicated in yy on FIG- URE 13) by the rectilinear ribs 45 (FIGURES 3 and 4) bordering said pass 44. Said gear 41 exhibits also an elongated hole 46 through which passes the crank pin 32 constituting said second pivot of connecting rod 31 and solid with slide 42 (FIGURE 7), this crank pin 32 moving also following the direction yy of passage y44. As explained hereinafter in the description of FIGURES '13 and 14, this arrangement allows to vary the excentrlclty of crank pin 31 with respect to the axis of pivot pin 47 (FIGURES 1 and 13) in said gear 41.

On its face opposite to that bearing crank pin 32, the slide 42 exhibits a toothed rack 48 engaging the skews 49 of part 43. When the latter is rotated by means of the spindle 50 solid with the knurled knob 51 (FIGURE l), the rotation of skews `49 meshing with the toothed rack 48 (FIGURES 7 and 8) causes the translatory shifting motion of slide 42 within the pass 44. As skews 49 are 4 helical and mesh with a straight toothed rack 48, this motion is irreversible. In other words, the rotary motion of disk `43 controls the translatory motion of slide 42, but it is not possible to control the rotary motion of part 43 by a translatory motion of slide 42.

The device operates in the following way: the whole fan is articulately mounted upon its supporting pedestal 25 in a plane perpendicular to the pivot axle 28 of balland-socket joint 27, the angle of inclination taken by the apparatus on this pivot being determined and adjusted by means of spur pinion 29 meshing with the straight toothing 40 and controlled by the knurled knob 30. In this way, the apparatus may be more or less tilted so as to be used in various positions, as illustrated in FIGURES 15 to 18. In FIGURES l5 and 16, the apparatus is supported resting on its appreciably horizontal pedestal 25, while in FIGURES 17 and 18, said support 25 is secured to a vertical wall. In all cases, the correct inclination of the apparatus is obtained by acting on knurled knob 30.

In addition, the whole apparatus may be turned about the rotary shaft 26 rotating in the hob 38 of the intermediate part 27.

The apparatus being started, the shaft of the driving motor 23 rotates to actuate the pinion 54 which constitutes the inlet of a (not represented) speed reducer or controller of which the gear I41 is the outlet pinion. This gear 41 thus rotates at a low speed. By rotating about its pivot pin 47, it rotatorily drives along the slide 42 which is mounted translatorily sliding within pass 44. The teeth 48 of the rack solid with the slide 42, when engaging the skews 49 of part 43, also rotate said part about the common axis of revolution constituted by pivot pin 47. It should be noted that the part 43 is normally mounted for a smooth friction within the gear 41, as may be seen especially on FIGURE l.

It will at first be supposed that crank pin 32 is given a position with some excentricity about pivot pin 47 which is also the axis of rotation of the gear 41, as shown in FIGURE 13. When this gear 41 rotates at a low speed, for instance in the direction indicated by arrow F (FIG- URE 13), the crank pin 32, which is locked in the gear 41 by the irreversible transmission constituted by the toothed rack 48 engaging skews 49, rotates about pivot pin 47 simultaneously with said gear 41. However, the disk 34 being normally locked in a stationary position by the elastic blade 35 bearing against the teeth 36 provided on the crown 37 of the universal joint combination 27 (which is fixed for rotation in the pedestal 25), the first pivot 33 of the connecting rod 31 constitutes normally a fixed point. As a consequence, the crank pin 32 is normally obliged to move along a circle 52 (FIGURE 14) the centre of which is coincident with the axis of the first pivot 33. On the other hand, the pivot pin 47 is fixed into the unit 21- 24 of the apparatus. As this unit rotates about the rotary shaft 26, the pivot pin 47 is hence obliged to follow a circumference 53 about the axis indicated in 55 on the FIGURE 14, this axis being also that of the rotary shaft 26.

By keeping this data in mind, it is easy to determine the geometrical locus along which moves the gear 41 during its rotation about pivot pin 47. In FIGURE 14 are schematised nine of these successive positions indicated by arrows bearing reference numerals 1 to 9, the origin of every arrow corresponding to the axis of pivot pin 47, while the point of the arrow corresponds to the axis of the second pivot 32. With the eccentricity given here to pivot 32 with respect to pivot pin 47, an alternate sweeping is thus obtained, covering the angle 56. It will be appreciated that the sweeping angle 56` is more or less open according to the eccentricity given to pivot 32, said angle being equal to zero when there is no eccentricity and ranging almost to for a maximum eccentricity.

The eccentricity is selected by simply turning the skews 49 with the help of the control knob 51 which correspondingly shifts in translation the slide 42.

In the FIGURES 13 and 14, it is supposed that the rst pivot is stationary, this being indeed normally the case. However, if by chance the fan meets an obstacle during its sweeping motion or if it is pushed With the hand, the spring blade 35 merely glides over the teeth 36 of crown 37 until the pressure exerted by the obstacle to the sweeping motion of the impeller disappears. The fan however performs its sweeping -under the same conditions, but the average orientation of the apparatus is different. In addition to such an easy orientation, this arrangement limiting the 'action also avoids any undue blocking of the apparatus resulting from an impact against a possible obstacle.

What is claimed is:

1. An oscillating and orientable fan driven by a motor and adapted to pivot about a pedestal with an alternate sweeping motion, said fan embodying in combination, a casing containing said motor and larticulated about said pedestal, an impeller mounted spaced apart from said casing and actuated by said motor, a rotary shaft freely journalled in said pedestal and about which said casing is actuated in a circular motion, a universal joint combination rotatably mounted in said pedestal and forming a hub which said rotary shaft freely turns, oscillating means comprising `a connecting rod mounted at one of its endS on a first pivot so as to be eccentrically rotated about said rotary shaft, said first pvot being mounted on a disk which is elastically and concentrically locked against a peripheral portion of said hub in any langular orientable position, whereas the opposite end of said connecting rod provides a Second pivot which is solid with said casing, said second pivot including a slide, and a crank-pin mounted in said slide and the axis of which is parallel to said rotary shaft, said slide adjustably gliding in a gear rotating about a pivot pin lixedly mounted in said casing and the axis of Which is parallel to that of said crank-pin and of said rotary shaft, said gear being driven by an intermediate gear actuated by said motor so that said crank-pin is adapted to be circularly and eccentrically driven by said motor about said pivot pin, whereas said pivot pin driven in counteraction by said connecting rod articulated on said pedestal allows an alternate sweeping motion of said casing about said rotary shaft.

2. An oscillating and orientable fan as claimed in claim 1, wherein said peripheral portion of said hub includes a toothed crown member, and said disk bearing said first pivot is provided with a spring blade elastically engaging the teeth of said crown.

3. An oscillating and orientable fan as claimed in claim l, wherein said slide includes a toothed rack meshing with helical skews of a rotatable member, said toothed rack being provided on the face of the slide opposite to that bearing said crank-pin so as to control the adjustable sliding position of said slide.

4. An oscillating and orientable fan as claimed in claim 3, wherein the position of said helical skews is controlled by a knurled knob actuating said rotatable member by means of a spindle, whereas said knurled knob projects beyond said casing so as to control the amplitude of oscillation of said impeller.

5. An oscillating and orientable fan as claimed in claim 1, wherein said universal joint combination includes a straight toothing meshing with a spur pinion, so that said casing is adapted to be oriented in any slanted position with respect to said pedestal by means of a knurled knob controlling the position of said universal joint combination in said pedestal.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,325,425 7/ 1943 Reindeau 230-256 2,813,673 11/1957 Smith 230-256 2,900,127 8/1959 Smith 230-256 3,147,639 9/1964 Braskamp 230-256 X 3,228,260 1/ 1966 Braskamp 230-256 X LEONARD H. GERIN, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

